Open For Business

Despite the lack of help from Mother Nature, HoliMont officially opened for the season last Friday, December 23^rd and all things considered the conditions were excellent.  So even though Ellicottville never morphed into the winter wonderland that most look forward to every year, HoliMont did its best to provide some added holiday cheer for the weekend.

“We only had a handful of really good nights of snowmaking to work with,” said Mark Burkhard, Mountain Manager at HoliMont.  “So we made a decision to hold off on opening in order to let the piles of snow that were created sit and cure.” 

Patience was indeed a virtue as HoliMont was able to provide Members and guests alike with some prime corduroy to set an edge into. 

“It’s Opening Day.  You always want things to go smoothly and give people a great experience but on Opening Day it’s that much more important,” said Burkhard.  “Sure, the weather throughout December wasn’t ideal but around here you quickly learn to work with what you are given.  Unfortunately, every season isn’t going to start off the way last season did so when we get a late start we put extra pressure on ourselves to make sure Opening Day is flawless.”

This season, Opening Day had a little extra sentimental value added to it.  It marked the last time that the current Exhibition fixed-gripped chairlift would be opening up the season.  Next season, which will mark HoliMont’s 50^th Anniversary; there will be a high-speed detachable quad shuttling people up Exhibition, which will be a fantastic upgrade to the Club and an excellent way to commemorate the 50^th year that the Club has been running.

HoliMont Members Frank Galloway, Kent Dixon, and his son Mitchell Dixon were the first skiers up the Exhibition Quad on Opening Day.  Kent Dixon repeated that feat when he was once again the first Member up the lift on the second day of the ski season. 

Even with limited terrain open, Day 2 was as nice of a day as a snow enthusiast could ask for.  Throughout the morning the sun rose high into a perfectly bright bluebird sky, which lit up the snow-coated trees throughout the valley.  And while the HoliMont Membership was not out in droves, which is fairly typical on Christmas Eve Day, the ones who did make it to the slopes got treated to great slope conditions and a very aesthetically pleasing view from the top of Exhibition.  It was literally a picture perfect day at HoliMont. 

Finally, on Christmas Sunday HoliMont was open from noon until 4pm.  An enthusiastic selection of Members and their guests came out for an afternoon on the slopes and had their commitment rewarded by being treated to limited lift lines and wide open groomed slopes to test their new Christmas gear out on.  So while many people were immersed in a sea of wrapping paper and Christmas baked goods some diehard skiers and snowboarders were out on the slopes getting their skiing/riding legs ready for, what we hope will evolve into, a very long and fun-filled season.

So if you love the snow we hope to see you here at HoliMont throughout the season.  Whether you are a Member, the guest of a Member or a non-member skiing/riding on a weekday we hope that you get the chance to truly experience HoliMont.

 

*Pictured in chairlift photo from L to R: Mitchell Dixon, Kent Dixon, Frank Galloway*

Kids Escaping Drugs SkiScape at HoliMont

HoliMont is please to announce that the 14^th Annual SkiScape event, which is put on by Kids Escaping Drugs, will be held at HoliMont on January 8^th, 2012.  As with the previous 13 years there will be plenty of skiing/snowboarding, lots of food, and a great selection of prizes that will be raffled off.  All of the proceeds from SkiScape help to fund the amazing work that the Kids Escaping Drugs organization does on an annual basis.

By raising a minimum pledge of $50 (plus a $10 early registration fee) you can come take part in this worthy fundraising event.  If you choose to register the day of the event you must pay a minimum of $70 (which includes the registration fee) to participate.  The first 300 participants who register are guaranteed a SkiScape t-shirt.

“HoliMont is happy to partner up with Kids Escaping Drugs for another great SkiScape event,” said Dash Hegeman, HoliMont Marketing Director.  “The work that Kids Escaping Drugs does is so important to the Western New York community and HoliMont is thrilled to have established such a solid, long-lasting relationship with such a great organization.  Each year a lot of hard work goes into planning this event and this season is no different.  The KED staff has really gone the extra distance to make this event not only a great fundraiser but also a really fun event to take part in.”

The more money a person raises for the event, the more prizes they can walk away with at the end of the day.  Every year KED has a great selection of incentives for people/teams who bring in the most money.  Last year it was gift certificates to The Ski Rack in East Aurora.  At the time this article went to print the prizes had not been established but you can bet they will be good ones!

Every year there are an assortment of races and other activities that take place at SkiScape, which participants can sign up for the day of the event.  If you love to ski or snowboard and you’ve never taken part in SkiScape this is definitely the year to come check it out.  The sight of watching the Lake Effect Fire Fighter races, where firefighters from all over the Greater Western New York area race down the slopes of HoliMont in full fire gear is worth the price of admission by itself.

Participants of SkiScape will get an all-day pass to HoliMont, breakfast and lunch as well as the free t-shirt (provided you register early).  Groups of 15 or more will receive a $5 per person discount.  For more information on SkiScape call the KED office at (716) 827-9462 or check out www.ked.makeachangewny.org/events/skiscape. 

Doing Mother Nature's Job

To quote The Rolling Stones, “You can’t always get what you want but sometimes you get what you need.”  Ellicottville wanted single digit temps the day after Thanksgiving but that didn’t happen.  Luckily for HoliMont, what we have here is exactly what we need.   When Mother Nature isn’t willing to play nice and give us an abundance of lake effect snow we have what we consider to be an even better resource. 

The Mountain Crew at HoliMont consists of a dedicated group of snowmakers who, day and night, brave the potentially inclement weather to ensure that HoliMont Members and guests not only have a great start to the season but also that the season lasts as long as possible.

Snowmaking is a science and a lot of preparation goes into making sure that all of the equipment runs efficiently and effectively.  That preparation is instrumental when it comes to starting the season.  In fact, if not properly managed it can make or break an entire ski season. 

That’s where the Mountain Crew at HoliMont comes into play.  Throughout the off season the crew tests and retests all of the water lines and mechanics of the snowmaking guns so that when the time comes everything will work with precision. 

The Snowmaking Crew consists of three different shifts and each shift plays off of one another to streamline the snowmaking process, which in turn helps to cover as much of the area as possible in as fast of a timeframe as possible.  There is no doubt about it; making snow is a relatively thankless job.  It is difficult work in less than ideal conditions and quite often Mother Nature gets all of the credit for the snow that is covering the hills.  Thankfully the men that make up the Snowmaking Crew at HoliMont are not in it for the notoriety or glory.  They do it because they are a special breed of individuals who come together as a team so that the skiers and snowboarders at HoliMont can enjoy the Western New York winter season. 

At midnight on December 7^th the guns were fired up for the first time and by morning there was a nice carpet of snow on the targeted hills at HoliMont, which was an amazing sight for those who were sick of seeing grass on the ground in December.   After a couple of weeks of inconsistent weather and many days where the temperature was not ideal for making snow HoliMont officially opened for the season on December 23^rd.  Had it not been for the dedication of the Snowmaking Crew that feat would not have been possible, as natural snow was more-or-less scarce at that point.  By waiting until the 23^rd HoliMont was able to preserve snow for the Christmas week and work on building up a solid base of snow, which is a necessary component to ensure a long and prosperous ski season.

Pictured left to right are:

J.C. McCauley, Kenneth LeCrone, Mark Coffman, Marcus Stephens, Eric Dulanski, Mike McCutcheon, Tim Rockwell, Dan Leigey, Paul Deboy, Jerome Bucktooth, Zebadiah Harvey, Carl Marlett, Shane Schinzel

Missing from photo are:

Kevin Doman, Matthew Faux, Cody Anderson, Kyle Bartlett, Jared Hubbard, Benjamin Roblee, Dave Furman, Duane Blood, Wayne Felt, Brian Henderson, Corey Lulas, Joseph Pugh, Steven Zerfas, Lawrence Mohr, Michael Perrington, Dan Steinbar

A New Year Of Racing At HoliMont

 

The art of ski racing runs deep in HoliMont’s blood.  What started as a low-key organization back in 1968 has evolved over the years into one of the strongest racing programs in New York State.  The HoliMont Racing Program is made up of athletes of all ages and racing disciplines.  Not only are there the J-IV – J-I athletes (younger racers who move up the USSA ranks based on age) but the Racing Program also consists of Adult racers and a strong snowboard consortium (alpine, slopestyle, boardercross and halfpipe).  Every single year athletes from HoliMont find themselves competing in championship events, not only on the East Coast but nationally as well.

According to first-year HoliMont Racing Director Travis Widger, “HoliMont Racing is here with the support of HoliMont Ski Area to provide a platform from which each and every athlete can learn, grow, and become successful while reaching for personal goals in snowsports competition.”

Ever since its inception HoliMont Ski Area has prided itself on being a club that places a priority on the family unit with a focus on economical, skiing/snowboarding for all its members and guests.  Anyone who has been actively involved in Snowsports Competition knows all too well that it is an expensive, time-consuming lifestyle.  One of the great things about HoliMont Racing is that it gives its athletes a structured training program that is run by a dedicated, highly trained racing staff; many of whom have roots in HoliMont Racing themselves.

“We support the HoliMont mission by offering affordable programs, a fun family environment, and quality coaching,” said Widger.  “We are here to provide the necessary resources that will help our athletes grow both personally and athletically while helping to instill a lifelong love for winter sports in all.”

This season HoliMont is growing its program base and its outreach with two relatively new programs; the HoliMont Academy and the HoliMont Racing Apprenticeship.

The Academy is in its second year and was a huge success during its inaugural season largely due to the commitment of the families and athletes that participated in the program.  These athletes trained at HoliMont Monday – Friday, while studying in their off-snow time with instruction that was provided by their families.  This season they will continue this training/tutorial regime with the support and commitment of their families, HoliMont, and HoliMont Racing.

HoliMont Coaching Apprenticeship on the other hand is a program that will allow athletes who want to kick-start their individual coaching career with a tried-and-true path to coaching success.  Athletes involved in the program are immersed into the daily training activities and get to focus on not only improving their individual skills but also are given valuable experience and racing certification opportunities.

The 2011-12 season promises to be an exciting one for the Racing Program.  Many of the athletes have been participating in rigorous off-season training activities and are now primed to show off their racing skills.

For more information on HoliMont Racing, contact Travis Widger at travis@holimont.com.